For as long as I can remember, I have loved to write. From the time I started writing essays in English at school until this very day, my love of the written word has never waned. Now, as I begin to work with my writing coach to edit and prepare my first book for publishing, I'm facing challenges on many levels.
The enormity of editing the 35,000 words I've written is the obvious one. My coach will take me through a process to make this quicker and easier, so it's not my biggest concern. Getting the first draft completed was the easy part to my mind. All of the content for my first book, If Not Now, When? seemed to pour out of me in no time at all. It was towards the end of our Nationwide lockdown in March 2020 here in New Zealand that I began. And, within a little over a month it was done. For me, writing is the easy part. It's the part I love so very much. Coming up with concepts and content is certainly no chore; I've always had more ideas in life than I know what to do with. With a focus on drawing from and sharing my own experiences, my every day life gives me more content than I could ever want. Looking at each day as an opportunity to learn more about myself allows me to always be coming up with new things to share. Okay, I've written my book, and that was relatively easy. From here on in, I have help from my coach with the remainder of the process, so I'm guessing you're wondering what the challenges might be. What I'm struggling with at this point is fear of putting myself, and my thoughts and feelings out into the world. I'm struggling with the fact I will be criticised and judged, and I find that really difficult to deal with. I'll continue to work through these feelings as I progress my book, it's all part of the process of finding the courage to be me. There are two reason I do what I do here on my blog: (1) I love to write, and (2) I love to help others. I've always wanted to be a writer. This is why I've written my book too. It's been a challenge to get to this point in my life, and I've had a great deal of help along the way. I want to share what I've learned, and am still learning, to make your journey easier. I'm here because this is what I have always wanted to do. As I work towards publishing my book later in 2021, I'll be sharing what I'm going through personally, as well as professionally. What's most important to me, is that I'm saying it how it is. I want to be real. And, at times that means there will be some rough edges and rawness that needs to be shared. Alongside my apprehension, sits eagerness and anticipation about what life will be like as an author. Will I love my new career? Or will I not? The answers to these questions are something I have no idea about. There is actually no way of knowing until it happens. Question: What lifetime goal would you love to achieve? Tell me in the comments, I'd so love to hear it.